1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pressure measuring devices and, more particularly, to strain and deflection measuring devices for use in connection with aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Pressure transducers are used in the prior art for acquiring strain and deflection measurements from a structure of an aircraft. These prior art pressure transducers are also used for acquiring other physical measurements from the structure of the aircraft.
A conventional physical parameter measuring device will comprise a sensor, which is adapted for measuring strain, deflection, and other physical properties of the aircraft. Such a sensor is typically connected to a remote amplifier via a relatively long cable.
An example of a conventional physical parameter measuring device is a strain gauge. Strain gauges often comprise completion bridges, for example, which include a relatively large number of electronic components. This large number of electronic components requires a large amount of human labor for assembly, and may also be more susceptible to malfunction as a result of the large number of parts. Even after the initial assembly, prior art strain gauges require a substantial amount of human labor for installation, calibration, and proper operation. For example, a prior art strain gauge must be manually calibrated to ensure accurate measurements. It would be advantageous to have a physical parameter measuring device of simple design that does not require a large expenditure of materials and human labor.
In addition to requiring a relatively large amount of human labor and being relatively expensive, conventional strain gauges have small output voltage ranges that are susceptible to noise. An output voltage range of a typical strain gauge is on the order of zero plus or minus twenty millivolts. The relatively low output voltage range of zero plus or minus twenty millivolts makes the output voltage susceptible to the introduction of undesirable ambient noise, such as radar and/or power line signals, for example. Additionally, the double-ended low output voltage range of zero plus or minus twenty millivolts suffers from having a relatively limited capacity, compared to the capacity that a single-ended output voltage range would have.